I would like to know more about writings on the coming of the Mahdi & the Messiah. I have heard that they are to come together. Most of what I have heard has been by word of mouth. Can anyone please help me find good writings on this topic?

INTRODUCTIONBismillaahir Rahmaanir RaheemSince the very time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) down to this present age, it has always been the unanimous (Ijmaa-ee) belief of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah (the Followers of the Four Math-habs) that Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam) will appear during the last of ages, namely, during the age when Hadhrat Nabi Isaa (alayhis salaam! and Dajjaal will make their appearance.

The Shiahs subscribe to a concocted and baseless view regarding Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam). They believe that at the age of five or six years in the fifth century, Imaam Mahdi disappeared with the origi- nal Qur'aan and is until this day hibernating in a cave in concealment and fear. He will appear according to their baseless concoction, during the final era of this world and exhume the bodies of Hadnrat Abu Bakr, Hadhrat Umar and Hadhrat Aishah (radhiyallahu anhum) and punish them severely after having restored them to life.

In these days, modernists—or some deviant modernists — have cast aspersions on the authentic ahadith which report and establish beyond any vestige of doubt the Ahlus Sunnah's belief regarding the advent of Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam). All authorities of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah —of former and later times—unanimously proclaim the correctness of the belief regarding Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam).

These modernists rejecting the belief regarding Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam) endeavour to create doubts in the minds of unwary and igno- rant Muslims. These miscreants usually are those deviates who are averse to the Four Math-habs. But, their views are baatil —having no validity in the Shariah.

The narrations which establish the belief of the Ahlus Sunnah regard- ing Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam) are of the Mutawaatir category. This is the highest category of Ahadith which have the force of Qur'aanic aayaat. There is no compromise on this belief.

Those who deny this authentic belief expose themselves to kufr.

HADHRAT NABI ISAA'S (ALAYHIS SALAAM) PLACE OF BURIAL

The same deviants who reject the Islamic belief pertaining to the bur- ial of Hadhrat Isaa (alayhis salaam) alongside the Holy Grave of Ra- sulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) after his dissension and reign dur- ing the last of eras, also refute the narrations which categorically men-tion the burial place of Hadhrat Isaa (alayhis salaam).

In the ensuing pages copious authentic narrations and rulings of the au- thorities of the Shariah have been furnished to prove both beliefs of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah, namely:

May Allah Ta'ala protect our Imaan and save us from the shaitaani de- ceptions of the people of baatil opinion about whom Hadhrat Sayy- iduna Umar Ibn Khattaab (radhiyallahu anhu) said: “Verily, the people of opinion are the enemies of the Sunnah.”

The Kitaabs of the Muhadditheen regarding Imaam Mahdi (alayhis salaam)

There are numerous Ahaadith of Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) re- garding the Imaam of the final era, Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam), which have been narrated, either in passing or specifically, by various Muhadditheen. Hereunder we shall mention the names of a few Mu- hadditheen who have written Kitaabs dealing specifically with Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam), or who have mentioned regarding him in their works:

9. Hadhrat Allamah Ali Al Muttaqi Al Hindi (rahmatullahi alayh), the author of Kanzul Ummaal, has written a special treatise dealing with Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam), which has been referred to by Allamah Barzanji (rahmatullahi alayh) in Al- Ishaa`at and by Hadhrat Mullah Ali Qaari (rahmatullahi alayh) in Mirqaat.

There is no explicit and clear narration in the Saheehain regarding Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam), however, the subject of some of their Ahaadith can be found, verbatim, in other Ahaadith Kitaabs, wherein these narrations (which appear in the Saheehain) are better understood and ‘interpreted’. Hereunder are some Ahaadith which appear in the Saheehain,

“It is reported from Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu anhu) who said, ‘Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, ‘What will be your con- dition when the son of Maryam descends and your Imaam will be amongst you?” [Narrated in Bukhari in the chapter, Nuzoolu Isaa Bin Maryam)

Imaam Muslim (rahmatullahi alayh) has narrated in his Saheeh, from Hadhrat Jaabir (radhiyallahu anhu), that he heard Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) saying, “A group from my Ummat will always be en- gaged in fighting upon the Haqq (and) they will be victorious until(just before the advent of) The Day of Qiyaamah… Isaa Ibn Maryam (alayhis salaam) will descend and their Ameer will say to him, ‘Come and lead our Salaat’. He will reply, ‘No! some of you are leaders unto others. Allah Ta`ala has honoured this Ummat.’”

Two points are worth noting here:

(1) At the time of Hadhrat Isaa’s (alayhis salaam) descension, the Muslim Ummat will have a pious and just leader.

(2) The fact that Hadhrat Isa (alaihis salaam) will ask this Imaam to lead the Salaat is ample proof that he will be a pi- ous and virtuous Imaam.

Now the question arises as to whether this Imaam is in fact Imaam Ma- hdi (alaihis salaam)? The excellent qualities and traits of this pious Imaam are borne out by numerous Ahaadith. His name, Muhammad Ibn Abdillah, has also been mentioned in numerous Ahaadith. In a nar- ration reported in Masnad Al Haarith Ibn Abi Usaamah, and exact nar- ration such as this one is reported by Hadhrat Jaabir (radhiyallahu anhu), wherein he states the word, Al Mahdi, after the words ‘their Ameer’. This narration becomes a Tafseer of the Hadith which appearsin Muslim Shareef.

Examine the narration which appears in Musnad Al Haarith Bin Usaamah:

“It is reported from Jaabir (radhiyallahu anhu), who says that Rasu- lullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, ‘A group from my Ummat will always be engaged in fighting upon the Haqq (and) they will be victorious until (just before the advent of) The Day of Qiyaamah… Isaa Ibn Maryam (alaihis salaam) will descend and their Ameer, Al Mahdi, will say to him, ‘Come and lead our Salaat’. He will reply, ‘No! some of you are leaders unto others. Allah Ta`ala has honoured this Ummat.’”

Regarding this Hadith, Allamah Ibn Qayyim (rahmatullahi alayh) states in Al Manaarul Muneef , “Isnaaduhu Jayyidun” (Its chain of narrators is excellent). It is very clear and evident that this narration forms an interpretation and dilation of the narration which appears in Muslim Shareef. Those Ahaadith wherein the name of Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam) is not mentioned, and he is merely described as a pi-ous/virtuous man, are clarified by other Ahadith which describes Imaam Mahdi with clarity.There are other narrations which clearly state that the person who will ask Hadhrat Isa (alaihis salaam) to lead the Salaat will be Imaam Ma- hdi (alaihis salaam). Therefore, in the above-mentioned Hadith, the pi- ous/virtuous man who will ask Hadhrat Isa (alaihis salaam) to lead the Salaat is Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam). In the Saheehain his name is not given but owing to the narration which appears in Sanad Al Harith, we come to know that the pious/virtuous Imaam who will ask Hadhrat Isa (alaihis salaam) to lead the Salaat will be Imaam Mahdi (alaihis sa- laam).

Allamah Siddiq Hasan Qanooji (rahmatullahi alayh) has compiled a large number of Ahaadith regarding Imaam Mahdi (alaihis salaam) in his Kitaab, Al-Izaa`a. At the end, he quotes the above-mentioned nar- ration from Muslim Shareef and comments, “The word, ‘Mahdi’ is not mentioned in this Hadith, but in this Hadith and other such Ahaadith, there is no possibility of this person being any other, than the awaited Mahdi, as can be borne out by the above-mentioned Ahaadith and nu- merous narrations.”

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